Arsenal kick off the weekend’s action in the Premier League when they visit the high-flying Aston Villa on Saturday.

Only Villa have acquired more points in their previous six league outings than the Gunners, with Unai Emery’s side recovering from a poor start to the 2025–26 campaign. Their latest victory, a sixth on the spin in all competitions, which came via a 4–3 scoreline at Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night, lifted them to third in the table.

The Villans are just six points adrift of the league-leading Arsenal, who comfortably beat Brentford 2–0 in the week after dropping points at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel Arteta’s side have had issues against Emery’s Villans, though. They’ve won just one of the previous four meetings, and their woes in this fixture arguably cost them the Premier League title in 2023–24.

Manchester City will thus be hoping for another favour from the West Midlanders, who’ll move into second with a fifth league win in succession. Arsenal still haven’t been beaten since they lost 1–0 at Anfield back in August.

Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to this weekend’s Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

Aston Villa vs. Arsenal Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (All Competitions)

Emiliano Martínez was a surprise omission in the week at Brighton, with a back injury explaining Marco Bizot’s presence in the starting XI. The Argentine has a race against time to be fit for the visit of his former club, but there’s an expectation that he’ll return to the team at Villa Park.

The hosts are certainly without Tyrone Mings, while Ross Barkley is carrying a knock.

Emery rotated slightly in the week and will welcome Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans back into his starting XI on Saturday. Ollie Watkins has an excellent record against the Gunners, and heads into the game off the back of ending his prolonged wait for a Premier League goal.

Aston Villa predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): MartÍnez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Malen, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins.

Arteta isn’t one to give too much away regarding the returns of players from injury, and the Arsenal boss was fairly coy ahead of Saturday’s game.

Much of the intrigue focuses on Declan Rice, who was forced off late on against Brentford with an apparent calf issue. The midfielder’s a doubt for the weekend, but William Saliba and Leandro Trossard should be available again.

Arteta said that Friday’s training session will be key in determining whether the three mentioned above will play at Villa Park.

Cristhian Mosquera’s ankle injury is likely to keep him out of Saturday’s game, so Arsenal really need Saliba back fit. Otherwise, Jurriën Timber would partner Piero Hincapié in defence, with Gabriel still sidelined.

Kai Havertz may not feature until the new year.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Aston Villa (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapié, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Ødegaard; Saka, Merino, Eze.

Aston Villa are the Premier League’s form team, but Emery’s men, in truth, have struggled to convince. However, their performance after falling 2–0 behind at the Amex on Wednesday was very impressive, and there’s a sense of growing inevitability about this team.

An injury-hit Arsenal still represent the toughest out for any Premier League team at the moment, and they certainly won’t fear the Villans’ momentum. However, it’s rarely simple for the Gunners when they visit Villa Park, with a Watkins goal close to guaranteed, and the hosts are primed to produce the moment that earns them a result on Saturday.

Prediction: Aston Villa 1–1 Arsenal

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